AMSTERDAM- The European medicines watchdog will on Wednesday issue guidance on whether AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine should be used in people under 60, the Dutch Health Minister said in a Facebook post.
Rare cases of brain blood clots and low platelet levels after use of the AstraZeneca vaccine have led several countries to halt its use to people under 60.
In a message defending the Dutch government's own decision last week to pause vaccinations among people under 60, Dutch Health Minister Hugo De Jonge indicated the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would update its guidance for that group on Wednesday.
A press conference is scheduled at 1400 GMT.
The EMA had previously said there was no increased risk of blood clots in general from the shot, developed by researchers at Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
However, it is investigating small numbers of reports of a brain blood clots, known as cerebral venous sinus thromboses (CVST), that have occurred in combination with unusually low blood platelet levels after people have been given the shot.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling and Bart Meijer; Writing by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ((anthony.deutsch@thomsonreuters.com;))
